Crashing Down
by DreamingNightImp
Summary: Vlad's secret has been discovered, and none other than Maddie Fenton is out for his hide. Oneshot, Vlad's POV.


Everything had crashed down on him so quickly.

The past few minutes felt like a blur. Was he dreaming? Had this all really happened? Surely there was no way it could ever come to this. It's impossible. He would never fail this completely. Not in a million years could this ever…

But it had. The world he had built for himself now came crashing down from every direction. Visions passed behind his eyes; of an old friend, a mistake, pain and bitter, bitter loneliness. Heartbreak and regret merged with hate and jealousy, ultimately developing into a need for revenge.

Abilities. Invisible. Intangible. Flight. Pink energy. Mistakes, screw ups, hit-or-miss, failures, triumphs, confusion, injury, pain. So many more of those negative. Triumphs were rare. He was to confused to really know when he'd done something right anyways.

Don't get caught. Don't raise suspicion. Where were they? His family- no, he didn't expect any of them. But where were his friends? They'd been gone so long… why had they not come back to him?

Unable to face mistakes. Hatred. Hatred. Hatred. Greed, jealousy, rage; sins to consume even the brightest of souls, and he was not one of them. Self-loathing arose, as did healing, and, finally, release.

Money? He'd not worked in years. College? Made it through in the hospital with special programs that he barely remembered. Now he was powerful. Theft became easy. Building himself up on the financial ladder was simple.

Scattered.

Not one thought stayed put. No sentence made sense, no memory complete. Everything was moving to fast. Where was he now? Above his home, having flown well away. It was barely visible in the distance already. He could fly faster than the younger halfa, after all.

The realization was catching up with him. It hurt more than he could describe. A whole world- albeit one of lies- crumbling before someone is never painless. He wavered. His stomach churned and his limbs felt weak, but stopping now would surely kill him. No, he had to keep going. No matter what, he had to run.

_She'll find you._

But what was the worst part of this, truly? The worst was the blood red icing on the rotted cake. She would find him, and she would kill him. For all that he'd done, no matter the past, she would see him dead if it was the last thing she did.

He fought the urge to retch.

The woman he loved would kill him.

_I don't want to die._

Nowhere to run. Open sky would not fair well. She had equipment. He would be found. All of Wisconsin would be turned over, shaken, and gutted until he fell out and into her palm. No matter how long he flew for, no matter how long he fled, he would be found. Running couldn't fair him forever.

Nowhere to hide. Not even within others. Machines would sniff him out. She'd recognize him. His face was everywhere. Her memories of him were solid. He hadn't changed much. Something would give him away. Hiding was not an option.

But he would be damned before he faced her.

_I don't want to die._

She trailed his every move now. He could feel it. An old joke; "You always know when we're around! How do you do that, V-Man?" The memory stung. It was pushed away. The memory remained. His red eyes burned.

Apologies were useless. The hole had been dug. Fire licked at the bottom. Light above scorned him. The walls were cold and flat. His powers, for all they were worth, were useless here. Memories played on them like old movies. They hurt worse than any physical pain he could imagine.

His best friends. Everything he did was with them. The highlight of his troubled life. What saved him, back then. All he had and all he had lost, played out cruelly before him. Their pain was unbearable. Tears streaked down his deathly blue face. He ignored them.

Falling. Flight had failed him. How could he continue in such a state? He was drained from what had happened. In only a few minutes, his hybrid body had begun to give up on him. Just like they had. Just like everyone else.

The ground jolted him, but he did not react. His form shifted back as he cowered within the grass. Where he was didn't matter. Forest, field, lake, mountains, all obsolete. Fear consumed him. Self-loathing coiled about his heart.

It had happened so fast. A world destroyed. Opportunities crushed. Old friends made into enemies. But worst of all- truly, nothing compared- was the ultimate loss of all he loved dearly.

Heartbreak and regret.

_I don't want to die._


End file.
